2017 George Bass School Annual Report - Amazon S3...Bass Hill, 2197...

George Bass SchoolAnnual Report

2017

5767

Printed on: 13 April, 2018Page 1 of 15 George Bass School 5767 (2017)

Introduction

The Annual Report for 2017 is provided to the community of George Bass School as an account of the school'soperations and achievements throughout the year.

It provides a detailed account of the progress the school has made to provide high quality educational opportunities forall students, as set out in the school plan. It outlines the findings from self–assessment that reflect the impact of keyschool strategies for improved learning and the benefit to all students from the expenditure of resources, including equityfunding.

Peter Skinner

Principal

School contact details

George Bass School106 Johnston RoadBass Hill, 2197www.georgebass-s.schools.nsw.edu.augeorgebass-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au9728 4450

Message from the Principal

The 2017 George Bass School Annual School Report celebrates the achievements of the school's students, staff andcommunity at the end of the three year planning cycle. Staff at George Bass School have been extremely committed tostudent success and to the development of the school over this three year period. All of our staff have undertaken anddelivered professional learning that has supported our school's strategic directions and the learning of our students.Throughout the year our teams have promoted; student centered planning, delivery of high quality programs and links inand with our community. These areas of work are strongly supported by our school's mission statement which issupported by the work of everyone who works at our site from our support staff, school executive, our teachers, schoollearning support officers (SLSOs), general assistants and cleaners.

This annual report is an important tool in sharing and communicating the achievements of the school over the final yearof our planning cycle (2015–17). The value added by each of our educators to the learning experiences of our studentsis the real focus of our achievements at our school. This is enhanced by the relationships that we have with our studentsand our community. I am sure that you will be able to see in this report, how these relationships have led to excellentresults from our school and our students.


School background

School vision statement

At George Bass School we provide innovative, quality learning programs that cater for each student's individual needsand celebrate their achievements. We are committed to supporting students through partnerships with our diversecommunity.

School context

George Bass School is a School for Specific Purposes that caters for students from Kindergarten to Year 12 withmoderate to severe intellectual disabilities and complex needs. George Bass School provides innovative, quality learningprograms that cater for each student's individual needs and celebrates their achievements. This is assisted throughinnovative technology, highly dedicated staff and quality teaching practices across the whole school. We offerremarkable learning opportunities through programs which include community access, hydrotherapy, individualcommunication programs and integration. We maintain strong links with families, external agencies andparaprofessionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists to ensure a collaborativesharing of information and strategies in relation to a student's needs. George Bass School is committed to supportingstudents through partnerships with the diverse community which links closely to the school motto 'Support, Community,Independence’.

Self-assessment and school achievement

Self-assessment using the School Excellence Framework

This section of the Annual Report outlines the findings from self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework,school achievements and the next steps to be pursued.

This year, our school undertook self–assessment using the School Excellence Framework. The framework supportspublic schools throughout NSW in the pursuit of excellence by providing a clear description of high quality practiceacross the three domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading.

Our self–assessment process will assist the school to refine our School Plan, leading to further improvements in thedelivery of education to our students.

For more information about the School Excellence Framework:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching–and–learning/school–excellence–and–accountability/sef–evidence–guide


Strategic Direction 1

Implementation, development and support of innovative, quality learning programs to promote student achievement.

Purpose

To provide high quality education for all students.

To provide innovative, engaging and cutting edge programs.

To provide opportunities for our students to achieve their full potential across all Key Learning Areas.

To ensure that staff are kept informed of and up to date about current evidence based programs.

Overall summary of progress

Strategic Direction 1 focuses on implementation, development and support of innovative, quality learning programs topromote student achievement. Our continued school wide focus on literacy, numeracy and technology has enabled us tofurther develop and consolidate current programs and upskill educators in their planning and delivery.

Accelerated Literacy

Accelerated Literacy continued to be used to teach vital literacy skills and there was a focus on differentiation to enableaccessibility to all students. A series of professional development sessions were delivered to refresh trained teachersand to introduce the tool to teachers who had not used it before to ensure consistency in teaching literacy skills acrossthe school. A digital training program about using the Accelerated Literacy program was created to maintain the currenthigh level of knowledge as new teachers start working at the school and was evaluated and reviewed by all teachersbefore it was launched at the end of the year.

Numeracy

The effective use of the Numeracy Framework was a key focus throughout 2017. Staff throughout the school wereinvolved in targeted professional learning sessions around the effective implementation and use of the NumeracyFramework teaching document and assessment kit. Training and support was provided to teachers in relation to writinghigh quality personalised learning goals in numeracy, effectively using the Numeracy Framework assessment kits toassess student achievement and writing high quality reports which reflected the language of the Numeracy Framework.The numeracy committee also implemented a termly newsletter to support numeracy teaching, learning and assessmentin the classroom. A numeracy programming proforma was developed and trialled alongside a scope and sequence forMathematics K–6 and 7–12 Life Skills ready for implementation in 2018.

Technology

In Technology a focus was given to integrating class sets of iPads to support teaching and learning within areas ofnumeracy, literacy and science. Classes were able to borrow them from the library for use in their classrooms to supportengagement within lessons across the three Key Learning Areas. Wi–Fi was made available in all demountableclassrooms to support the use of the class iPads and the sharing of resources across the school. Teachers were alsoprovided with opportunities to professionally develop and further enhance their skills in using technology for learningthrough a mentoring program. The technology team also set up a website with a library of interactive links and readablebooks for students to independently access from classroom computers.

Progress towards achieving improvement measures

Improvement measures(to be achieved over 3 years)

Funds Expended(Resources)

Progress achieved this year

Accelerated Literacy evidenced inclass programs.

0.00 Accelerated Literacy continued to be evidenced inall classroom programs and continued to be awhole school expectation. Teacher ProfessionalLearning sessions were run for new staff and weintroduced a new self paced training module.

Student progression throughpersonalised Literacy Framework

0.00 The Literacy Framework indicators were used towrite personalised goals in English for all students.






indicators and goals throughAccelerated Literacy programs.

The Literacy Framework indicators were used towrite personalised goals in English for all students.

Numeracy Framework evidencedin class programs.

10 teacher days in totalwere provided in 2017 tosupport with thedevelopment of morenumeracy resources and tosupport the development ofa mathematics scope andsequence as well as newprogramming expectations.

Teacher Professional Learning sessions wereconducted to introduce a new numeracyprogramming proforma and a scope and sequencefor Mathematics.

Student progression throughpersonalised NumeracyFramework indicators and goals.

0.00 The Numeracy Framework indicators were used towrite personalised goals in Maths for all students.and a new numeracy proforma was introduced

Use of innovative technologyevidenced in class programs.

0.00 Technology mentoring occurred across the schoolto utilise the expertise of staff within the school. Theuse of innovative technologies was a focus for thisprogram and will be a big focus in the next schoolplanning process.

Teacher evaluation of studentengagement and success whenengaged in lessons usinginnovative technology.

0.00 Within the mentoring program opportunities for peerobservations were given to teachers so that theycould observe the use of innovative technology toenhance student engagement.

Next Steps

To continue to ensure inclusivity of all literacy teaching and learning through high quality, differentiated programs.

To ensure the ongoing effective and consistent implementation of the Numeracy and Literacy Frameworks andassessment systems for tracking student performance in these areas. To provide opportunities for targeted professionaldevelopment that builds the capacity of all staff to effectively plan and deliver high quality lessons across all key learningareas.

To ensure that technology is used as a tool within the classroom to assist in the delivery of more engaging, differentiatedprograms to students and also as a communication tool with the community.



Developing systems and practices that cater for individual student learning needs, celebrate achievement and promotewellbeing.

Purpose

To acknowledge and assess student individual needs to provide appropriate programs that meet those needs.

To provide a positive learning and working environment for staff, students, families and the community.

To create and maintain a positive school culture, sustain achievement and encourage ongoing high performance.


Strategic Direction 2 focuses on developing systems and practices that cater for individual student learning needs,celebrate achievement and promote wellbeing. Our continued school wide focus within this strategic direction has beenon communication for all students, Positive Behaviour for Learning across the school and the personal development,health and physical education of all students.

Communication

The focus on communication as a whole school priority continued and expanded in 2017. This ensured thatcommunication programs from 2015/16 were sustained throughout the school and new communication tools and deviceswere introduced for students, who were working beyond the current communication systems. This ensured thatcommunication is always a main priority for students at George Bass School. Professional learning continued through2017 for staff through outsourced professionals and therapists, who delivered training in Picture ExchangeCommunication Systems (PECS), Pragmatic, Organisational, Dynamic, Display (PODD), Touch Chat AAC, Proloquo2Goand Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP). In 2017, staff were professionally developed through theschool mentoring program and teacher professional learning (TPL) to ensure that their skills and understanding ofcommunication devices and strategies were consistent.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

The school–wide focus on student wellbeing continued throughout 2017. The PBL team developed a scope andsequence to assist in the delivery of PBL across the school in a more consistent manner. In the final weeks of 2016, theteam conducted an internal survey to gather data about the staff’s knowledge regarding the PBL program, confidence todeliver lessons to students and areas they need support to develop further in relation to the PBL program. From thisdata, the team identified a number of staff members that had been employed at George Bass School after the initiallaunch and professional development about the program. To build staff confidence to deliver the PBL initiative, the teampresented in–depth teacher professional learning sessions about the learning programs using SMART Notebook, thethree school values and fifteen school expectations and how to support students utilising the visual supports. There wasa strong focus on developing and using the consistent language staff are expected to use when communicating withstudents.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE)

George Bass School continued to promote the Live Life Well Program through classroom lessons and activities thatpromoted healthy eating, healthy choices and Crunch and Sip.

Baseline data collected at the end of 2016 showed a need for student improvement in all gross motor activity and in ourstudents' ability to perform in PDHPE activities, especially in the areas of Gymnastics and Games. 'Attending to','responding to' and 'initiating’ were the three main areas that required improvement according to the data collected. Adata collection system and specific skill refinement activities were created so that student skill levels could be trackedfrom Kindergarten to Year 12. These tools were professionally delivered to school staff by the PDHPE team early in2017.

Funding from Special Olympics Australia, enabled professionals from No Limits Sports to come and provide studentswith specialised training, equipment and support during George Bass Olympics each Friday. They also provided extrasupport during the schools sports carnival in Term 3. Georges River Grammar School also sent students from Year 9and Year 10 to volunteer and support George Bass students each Friday at George Bass Olympics. The annual Soccer


Gala Day saw other local SSP schools come together in Term 4 to compete for the grand prize of Soccer Champions2017. Both the Soccer Gala Day and Athletics Carnival were a great success for all who participated.





Positive Behaviour for Learningprogram evidenced in behavioursupport plans.

$2000 PBL continues to be a major focus at George BassSchool with the program and language beingimplemented across the school. The PBL teamcontinued to develop the school wide PBL Nmartnotebook resources to extend on what alreadyexisted and to provide a larger variety of learningexperiences for all students within PBL

Consistent school–wide PositiveBehaviour for Learning lessonimplementation evidenced inclass programs.

0.00 PBL language is evidenced across the school andwithin all classrooms. The PBL visuals are presentin all classrooms and learning environmentsincluding the playground. Regular revision of thePBL school values and expectations is carried outduring school Teacher Professional Learningsessions and the PBL language is evidenced inBehaviour Management Plans.

Individualised communicationplans and goals are evidenced inclass programs and PersonalisedLearning Plans.

0.00 Individualised Communication goals wereintroduced into the Personalised Learning Plansand were then reported against in the mid and endyear reporting periods. Communication of allstudents continues to be a school wide focus andstaff have been given opportunities to learn aboutnew Augmentative Communication systems whichexist to support their students and have hadopportunities to trial new systems within theirclassrooms. Staff with expertise around certaintypes of communication systems have mentoredother staff in the correct use of these low or hightech devices and have supported each other withthe implementation of them.

Student progression throughindividualised communicationgoals is evidenced by theeffective implementation ofcommunication assessments.

0.00 Students have been assessed according to thegoals within their Personalised Learning Plan aswell as a communication checklist which getsupdated each year to track their progression.

Live Life Well @ School, Crunchand Sip and George BassOlympics sessions are evidencedin class programs.

0.00 Healthy eating and the principles of the Live Lifewell program are evidence in all cooking programsand the school milk bar program. Healthy foodchoices are promoted within class lessons anddiscussed with students and parents. George BassOlympics continues to occur on a weekly basis andis accessed by all students. Activities are modifiedto suit the needs of individual students and classprograms contain a fundamental movement skillschecklist to monitor student ability and progress.

Student progression through theFundamental Movement Skillsindicated in the George BassOlympics Assessment tool.

0.00 Activities within George Bass Olympics aremodified to suit the needs of individual students andclass programs contain a fundamental movementskills checklist to monitor student ability andprogress. This has been a very beneficialassessment tool for students as it allows fortracking and monitoring of student progress.

Next Steps


Continuation of staff professional development in communication programs, tools and devices that students are usingwithin the school will be a future focus.. Professional development will be accessed through outsourced professionalsthat provide training, therapists who are working collaboratively with students/teachers and through the provision ofspecific communication system technologies that can be utilised by staff to familiarise themselves with the variouscommunication systems being used by their students.

Within the area of student wellbeing and PBL, the plan for 2018 is to implement the scope and sequence as a wholeschool initiative, assess newly enrolled students and a targeted group of existing students to gather baseline data abouttheir knowledge of the PBL initiative and to deliver a workshop to support families and caregivers in the home. The goalto continue building upon the SMART Notebook files that exist and to complete the development of all unfinishedlessons.

PDHPE programs and activities will continue to run in 2018. Staff will continue to implement strategies to ensurestudents are learning new skills and retaining learnt knowledge of skills already taught. The school will endeavour toaccess professional and specialised training for students where possible.



Building sustainable partnerships with our diverse community that provide opportunities that are mutually beneficial to theschool, students, families and the wider community.

Purpose

To establish student identity and identity within the community.

To establish future pathways for our students.

To establish relationships and connections with families, parents, citizens and the wider community.

To build communities of schools with both local schools and other Schools for Specific Purposes.


Strategic Direction 3 focuses on building sustainable partnerships with our diverse community providing opportunitiesthat are mutually beneficial to the school, students, families and the wider community. Our continued school widefocus within this area has been on Integration and Transition, Triple P and building community participation.

Integration and Transition

The focus on integration and transition in 2017 saw Georges River Grammar School complete reverse integration atGeorge Bass School. Students participating in the Year 9 and 10 program, supported George Bass students so that theycould build on sporting skills and social skills during George Bass Olympics each Friday. This program was so popularwith the Georges River Grammar students, that at times there were two bus loads of students arriving to help on the day.This integration proved to be very successful with students from both schools, particularly the senior school students atGeorge Bass, who were able to form social friendships with regular Georges River student volunteers.

The senior school continued to successfully participate in community access and work education programs. Studentsvisited the local shopping centre to purchase food items needed to run the school Milk Bar and the Colours Caféprograms across the year. Both programs were a huge success, raising money for the senior school camp and providingdelicious treats for staff and students on a weekly basis, as well as for parents and visitors who attended the school forspecial activity days and functions. Students in Years 11 and 12 who were studying a Work Education based electivealso took part in a Work Experience placement at the AFFORD factory in Prestons. The students proudly representedGeorge Bass School, developed a range of work based skills and thoroughly enjoyed this valuable opportunity.

The infants and upper primary classes participated in community access across 2017. The infants classes went to an‘Under the Sea’ sensory play at The Casula Power House in Term 1 and then to the Sydney Aquarium in Term 2. Laterin the year the infants classes visited Livvi’s Playground in Ryde. These activities complemented the literacy, geography,science and PDHPE lessons and activities which were collaboratively developed and run across the infants school. Theupper primary classes participated in a weekly bowling program at AMF Villawood in conjunction with their PDHPEprograms.

The George Bass Dance Troupe continued during 2017 supporting the development of performance skills, confidenceand self–worth. Students from across the school who display a high interest in performance and dance met weekly torehearse. The troupe performed at school assemblies and the annual Principal's Celebration. The 2017 SchoolsSpectacular, Own the Moment, was held at the Qudos Bank Arena. Our students represented George Bass Schoolalongside over 220 performers in the D’Arts Ensemble. During October and November, the group attend five rehearsalsat Busby West and two major rehearsals at Qudos Bank Arena. Over the Schools Spectacular weekend, in November,the students performed in 4 shows to the Blues Brothers song ‘Everybody Needs Somebody” and in the finale to thesong ‘Faith’ from Sing. This involvement was funded by a grant secured through Club Grants and Bunnings BBQssupported by the whole staff and parents.

Building sustainable partnerships with the community and Triple P

The Deputy Principals newsletter item continues to be a success showcasing student achievements across the school aswell as reporting on School Plan and milestone achievement. Parent involvement has also increased through P&Cevents such as the Walk–a–thon, Crazy Sock Day and the School Disco. Yagoona Public School support class staff alsocontinued to participate in Teacher Professional Learning throughout the year. The Stepping Stones Triple P programunfortunately did not run in 2017 as it was decided that it would be re–established in 2018 under the new strategicdirection 3. Workshops will be offered in a different format to cater for a wider number of parents by offering more


flexibility and choice.





Professional developmentsessions to be made available toan increased number of schoolsfor students with complex needs.

0.00 Opportunities for staff working with students whohave complex needs in the support unit at YagoonaPublic School attended a number of relevantteacher professional learning sessions over thecourse of 2017. We will continue to offer theseopportunities and aim to strengthen links with staffworking in the support unit in Bass High school inthe next school planning cycle.

Improved positive feedback fromLinks funded programs betweentransition school settings andGeorge Bass School.

$1760 Links funding was used to support a variety ofprograms throughout 2017 including communityaccess opportunities, work experience placements,excursions and reverse integration opportunities.The transition of students into George Bass Schooland from George Bass School into other settingswas also supported and resulted in positivefeedback from families and enhanced experiencesfor all students involved.

Positive parent feedback from theTriple P Stepping StonesProgram.

0.00 The Triple P Stepping Stones Program was not runin 2017 after a decision to develop and presentworkshops in a different format in 2018 as part ofstrategic direction 3.

Positive parent improvement andcertification following the Triple PStepping Stones program.

0.00 The Triple P Stepping Stones Program was not runin 2017 after a decision to develop and presentworkshops in a different format in 2018 as part ofstrategic direction 3.

Next Steps

George Bass School will continue to implement and promote both transition and integration programs for students whoattend the school. In 2018, Strategic Direction 3 will focus on providing enhanced opportunities for communityparticipation, collaboration and engagement in student learning which will ensure the continuation of this strategicdirection. It will focus greatly on the community and ways in which the community can be kept better informed aboutschool programs and also provide them with more opportunities to be involved with school programs throughout the year.


Key Initiatives Resources (annual) Impact achieved this year

Aboriginal background loading $3,009 Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) aredesigned and delivered to support each of ourstudents individual leaning needs. Strategieshave included using the '8–ways of Learning'throughout curriculum implementation tosupport Indigenous and non–Indigenousstudents. Our Aboriginal education teamsupported a targeted program for studentsbased on areas of cultural significance at keyevents. Our Aboriginal students were alsosupported to take up leadership opportunitiesat school throughout the year.

Quality Teaching, SuccessfulStudents (QTSS)

$17,471 Quality Teaching, Successful Students(QTSS) supported collaborative praticeacross the school. It also supported theprovision of mentoring support fornon–beginning teachers in the area of studentengagement.

QTSS support was also used to supportstudent engagement through the school'stechnology team by providing teacher supportalongside a colleague in the classroom.. Thisprogram allowed for significant andunexpected positive results for students andfurther enhancement of teacher pedagogicalknowledge.

Socio–economic background $85,426 Socio–economic background funds wereused to promote an enhanced range ofcurriculum support and learning experiences,specialist teachers, community supports andindividually targeted student supports. Thesefunds supported programs that allowed staffto collaboratively plan and share resources topromote student attainment, specifically in theareas of literacy and numeracy. Examples ofthis include resource development throughthe Accelerated Literacy program andresource development withassociated professional learning through theschool–wide Numeracy Framework program.

Support for beginning teachers $13,378 Beginning teachers were provided withsupport and feedback from both theirsupervisors and through the provision of atargeted mentoring system across the school.The mentoring program allowed for support ofteachers through a goal area asdetermined during a meeting with teachermentor.

Professional learning was also provided tobeginning teachers that targeted goals in theirProfessional Development Plan (PDP) as wellas goals that were supportive of the schoolsstrategic directions and student support.

Targeted student support forrefugees and new arrivals

$3,385 EALD student's English language proficiencywas increased throughout the year byproviding augmentative communicationsystems and strategies. Additional staff wereused to support the implementation of directinstruction and instant support to ensure thatcommunication opportunities were


Targeted student support forrefugees and new arrivals

$3,385 maximised. Additional staff were specificallyemployed to enable students to access anduse the Picture Exchange CommunicationSystem (PECS) in order to makespontaneous requests and build onknowledge of English language structure.


Student information

Student enrolment profile

Enrolments

Students 2014 2015 2016 2017

Boys 31 56 71 73

Girls 12 19 26 29

George Bass School enrolled an additional 7 studentsin 2017 and established 1 additional class to supportstudents with a moderate or severe intellectualdisability. While our enrolment of students in theprimary school continues to form the majority, we wereable to structure 6 high school classes in 2017.

In 2017, 79% of our students came from a languagebackground other than English and 5% were from anAboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background.

Workforce information

Workforce composition

Position FTE*

Principal 1

Deputy Principal(s) 1

Assistant Principal(s) 4

Head Teacher(s) 0

Classroom Teacher(s) 14.68

Teacher of Reading Recovery 0

Learning & Support Teacher(s) 0

Teacher Librarian 0.6

Teacher of ESL 0

School Counsellor 1

School Administration & SupportStaff

20.43

Other Positions 0

*Full Time Equivalent

In 2017, 74% of our teachers had either their initialqualifications in special education or had undertakenpost–graduate training in special education. No staffmember identified as being of Aboriginal or TorresStrait Islander background in 2017.

Teacher qualifications

All teaching staff meet the professional requirementsfor teaching in NSW public schools.

Teacher qualifications

Qualifications % of staff

Undergraduate degree or diploma 100

Postgraduate degree 74

Professional learning and teacher accreditation

Professional learning in 2017 was once again targetedat the achievement of our strategic directions with anadditional focus on mentoring staff.

Our strategic direction teams were allocated teacherprofessional learning sessions internally and resourcesto support external training based on their planningprocess. Additionally, teachers all attended the SpecialEducation Conference hosted by SEPLA in July.

A targeted mentoring program was implemented tosupport staff to develop their practice based onindividual goals and Professional Development Plans(PDPs). As part of the mentoring process staff wereinvolved in coaching sessions with a mentor andprovided with opportunities to engage in professionaldevelopment. These opportunities included colleaguessharing best practice, observing colleagues in theclassroom, self reflection and specific skill developmenttraining.

A technology mentoring program was also establishedwhich was very successful. This program looked at theuse of technology in the classroom to support teaching,learning and assessment. Staff were provided withsupport to effectively utilise a range of hardware andsoftware to support students in the classroom. Thetechnology mentoring program also targeted the use ofassistive technology to ensure that all students wereengaged and actively participating in the classroom.

A series of school based professional learning eventswere hosted by our communication, numeracy,Personal Development, Health and Physical Education(PDHPE), Accelerated Literacy and Positive Behaviourfor Learning (PBL) teams to support staff learning andclassroom practice. The sessions were attended by allteaching staff and were made available each week toany School Learning Support Officer who volunteeredto attend.

All mandatory training was completed by all schoolstaff. Additional training to support students withmedical conditions and those who require health careprocedures was completed and/or updated asnecessary.

Financial information (for schoolsfully deployed to SAP/SALM)

Financial summary

The information provided in the financial summaryincludes reporting from 1 January 2017 to 31


December 2017.

2017 Actual ($)

Opening Balance 214,815

Revenue 4,682,037

Appropriation 4,520,457

Sale of Goods and Services 8,003

Grants and Contributions 144,717

Gain and Loss 0

Other Revenue 6,675

Investment Income 2,185

Expenses -4,734,564

Recurrent Expenses -4,734,564

Employee Related -4,369,345

Operating Expenses -365,219

Capital Expenses 0

Employee Related 0

Operating Expenses 0

SURPLUS / DEFICIT FOR THEYEAR

-52,527

Balance Carried Forward 162,288

Financial summary equity funding

The equity funding data is the main component of the'Appropriation' section of the financial summary above.

2017 Actual ($)

Base Total 683,550

Base Per Capita 32,717

Base Location 0

Other Base 650,833

Equity Total 139,103

Equity Aboriginal 3,009

Equity Socio economic 85,426

Equity Language 50,668

Equity Disability 0

Targeted Total 3,239,924

Other Total 173,104

Grand Total 4,235,681

Figures presented in this report may be subject torounding so may not reconcile exactly with the bottomline totals, which are calculated without any rounding.

A full copy of the school's financial statement is tabledat the annual general meetings of the parent and/orcommunity groups. Further details concerning thestatement can be obtained by contacting the school.

Parent/caregiver, student, teachersatisfaction

Parents and committee members are surveyed at theend of each school year as a part of our assessmentand evaluation process not only for our programs, butalso for our work toward our third strategic direction.Surveys were sent home this year, and there was alsoan opportunity for parents to come to the school for aplanning meeting, where they were given time toprovide the school with feedback and suggestions toassist future planning. . Evaluation of this surveyindicated a moderate level of parent satisfaction withinvolvement in programs and a request to increase thenumber of opportunities that parents are given toaccess the school to support school programs.Parents again indicated that they felt included as awhole in the planning process for their child throughPersonalised Learning Plan (PLP) meetings andthrough the review process but that they would like tobe given the opportunity to provide information tosupport the planning process prior to the plan beingdeveloped.

Some areas for further work during 2018 includedincreased parent involvement in activities each day, theprovision of more parent workshops and moreinformation including up to date information presentedon the school website and Facebook page and bettercommunication in regard to school events which doesnot rely only on notes being sent home as they often donot get home successfully and are therefore not read.


These areas will all be addressed in the planningprocess for our community strategic direction in 2018.

Student satisfaction in the school and its programs wasassessed through involvement and participation inactivities. A vast majority of our students were all activeand enthusiastic participants in their learningthroughout the school year. This is evidenced throughnot only the participation levels in activities, but alsothrough evaluation of photographs and videos thatindicate high levels of student enjoyment andengagement in activities and a range of programs.Continued evaluation and reflection on our programswill be an ongoing focus for us in the future. Studentengagement is always a priority within class and schoolprograms and will continue to be a focus in the newplanning process.

Reviews of staff satisfaction through meetings andthrough engagement in our community continue toindicate a high level of staff satisfaction and high levelsof support provided in the school. This is reflected inthe very small staff turnover by the end of 2017. Staffwere also surveyed during a staff Teacher ProfessionalLearning (TPL) session and the results of the surveyindicated that staff feel very supported across theschool. Some areas for further work will be to introducea debriefing system within the school that is availablefor staff to access should they need to and also toincrease the number of avenues for communication tostaff so that there continues to be an overalltransparency in school decisions.

Policy requirements

Aboriginal education

Aboriginal Education at George Bass School continuedto be embedded in our strategies for teaching ineveryday school life for our students. Our literacystrategy, Accelerated Literacy, is embedded in the8–ways philosophy of supporting students from anAboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. This isa part of each class program, in the way it breaks downinstruction for and about literacy, as well as teachesand reinforces literacy learning in a culturally significantway.

Our senior language program continues to beAboriginal languages, where key phrases, flora andfauna are taught to our students as a part of theirlanguage learning. Our Indigenous students continuedto acknowledge country at each of our schoolassemblies and significant events. We are grateful tohave student leadership support us through somethingthat is culturally significant to them.

NAIDOC week was a key event in the George Basscalendar in 2017. This was celebrated through a weekof activities, culminating in a special assembly.

Multicultural and anti-racism education

Multicultural education is always a focus at George

Bass School and celebrated on an ongoing basis dueto the nature of our community and our student body.Throughout 2017 we supported the diversity within ourcommunity through engagement in learning programsand through key events. These events included,Harmony Day, multicultural celebrations, NAIDOCweek celebrations and the acknowledgement andcelebration of key cultural and significant eventsthroughout the year. Our community continues tobe engaged in these events and the school was wellsupported by our parents and our supportive P & C.This was highlighted by the involvement of our entirecommunity in Multicultural Day celebrations, includingthe provision of activities, wearing of cultural dress andthe supply of a range of diverse foods from the culturesthat make up our school.


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